By John Campbell
What are they?
Netbooks are sometimes called mini notebooks and were first seen in late 2007. They are small, light and relatively inexpensive compared with their big brothers, laptops.
Their reduced size and weight has its drawbacks, as manufacturers have had to cut out some features such as an optical drive and they have smaller screens and keyboards.
I must admit I was tempted to buy one, and fell for a MSI Wind u100 Netbook. It came with an Intel Atom N270 processor, 1 gig of RAM, a 160 Gig hard drive, a webcam, three USB ports and Windows XP preloaded and some bundled software.
Despite its good specifications, the MSI Wind u100 lacked a few features which I soon rectified.
First of all, to make up for the lack of an optical drive, I bought a Samsung portable DVD RW Drive. This is powered by the Netbook through two USB ports.
Next, I boosted the installed 1 Gig of RAM to 2 Gig.
Finally, I upgraded the pre-installed operating system, Windows XP to Windows 7 Home Premium.
Now, my little Netbook really began to fly!
Unusual Features
While the MSI Win u100 Netbook has a good sized keyboard, its Touchpad is a little different from other Netbooks. It features a single button.
To perform a left click you press the left-hand side of the button and for a right click the other side. This works smoothly and is easy to get used too.
However, never being a real fan of touchpads, I cheated about a Microsoft Wireless mouse.
Problems
I had difficulty getting the web-cam to work on my MSI Netbook.
The documentation that came with the machine was of little help but a phone call to MSI Support soon sorted this out.
This little camera takes a good clear picture.
The speaker system is a little tinny but I find I listen to music on the Desktop’s sound system so this minor matter is no problem.
Another worry is the short battery life. I have found I get about three and a half hours out of mine but as I’m never far from a power point this is not a problem either.
More mobile users may find this a setback.
Initially, Microsoft insisted Netbook Manufacturers use the underpoweredWindows Starter operating system. Fortunately, they relented and now allow manufactures to add any version of Windows 7.
This never was a difficulty as previously I had purchased the Windows 7 Home Premium Family pack and that allowed me to installed Windows 7 on the Netbook.
I have Windows 7 Family pack running smoothly on all three computers.
Before you commit to buying a Netbook here are a few tips!
- Consider upgrading the RAM to 2 Gig, but beware not all Netbooks have this capability.
- Consider the size of the keyboard keys and the screen size. Some are smaller than others.
- Think about whether you need to buy a portable optical drive.
- Consider buying a more powerful six cell battery as these have a longer life.
One final note! I find my MSI Wind u100 netbook performing extremely well and am well satisfied with its performance.
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